By Jean-Marie Nsambu

RESIDENTS of Mawanga zone, Munyonyo, near Kampala city, have blocked the spraying of their homes against mosquitoes, over DDT fears. Many residents stopped the workers of Balton, the company handling the job, from entering their premises yesterday.

Some said Balton was using DDT, which some environmentalists have warned has serious side-effects on people’s health. But Balton earlier this week said it was using an insectcide approved by the WHO.

In the long-run, the Government plans to spray DDT inside houses as a means to eradicate mosquitoes which carry the parasite that causes malaria, the number one killer disease in Uganda.

The current spraying comes ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting due at the Speke Resort Munyonyo in November.

The national effort kicked off on Monday at the hotel and is expected to cover a radius of 3km from the hotel. Just 84 houses out of hundreds were sprayed.
The senior technician of Balton, Michael Musyoka, said at about 11:00am: “Many residents refused, saying they did not know about it; we have nothing to do.”
He was optimistic that local council officials would sensitise the public and more houses would be covered today and tomorrow.

Area MP Hussein Kyanjo blamed the hitch on the failure to inform him about the issue in advance. “Whoever is responsible should have involved MPs in order to convince the people.” He added: “People are apprehensive of the chemicals being employed. I, too, would be interested in knowing what the chemical is before allowing anyone to spray my home.”

Area general secretary Eric Nyanzi blamed the company for starting the assignment with ordinary residents.
“They should have started with the rich people’s houses, so that the lowly ones are convinced that the exercise is conventional. We have people like Wavamunno, Basajjabalaba, Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh, Maj. Gen. Kazini, tycoon Mike Ezra and MP Kyanjo, why not start with them?”

At Kazini’s home, a man in military fatigues opened a small gate before Mrs. Kazini allowed in the technicians.
A few metres away, a woman selling matooke said she would not let her home be sprayed for fear of toxins. “I am told when you come in contact with the walls that have been sprayed, you start itching.”

The health ministry and Kampala City Council (KCC) last week allowed Balton to spray mosquitoes in six areas around the resort hotel. The first of the two-phase exercise takes place this month and the second in October.

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